MULAN

SV Mulan came to us already named. As sailors are somewhat superstitious about changing a boat's name, and also given the boy's enjoyment of the Disney movies about Mulan, we decided the name was a keeper. The previous owner's wife was of Chinese origin, and we believe this is the reason for the original naming.

The following is an edited version of the Wikipedia entry on Hua Mulan. For the complete entry see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan and for the entry on the Disney movie see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulan

HUA MULAN
Hua Mulan was a heroine who joined an all-male army, described in a famous Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan. The poem - a ballad, meaning that the lines do not necessarily have equal numbers of syllables - was first written a century before the founding of the Tang Dynasty. The original work no longer exists, and the original text of this poem comes from another work known as the Music Bureau Collection, an anthology of lyrics, songs, and poems, compiled during the 12th century. Whether she was a historical person or whether the poem was an allegory has been debated for centuries�"it is unknown whether the story has any factual basis.

The time setting of the story is uncertain. The earliest accounts of the legend state that she lived during the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534) but there has been no proof. However another version reports that Mulan was requested as a concubine by Emperor Yang of Sui China (reigned 604-617). Evidence from the poem suggests the earlier interpretation. The story was expanded into a novel during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Over time, the story of Hua Mulan rose in notoriety as a folk tale among the Chinese people on the same level as the Butterfly Lovers.

The Ballad of Mulan (Translated from Chinese):
Tsk, tsk, and tsk tsk,
Mulan weaves at her window.
We cannot hear the shuttles sound,
We only hear the girl's sighs.
"Now tell me girl, who's in your heart,
And tell me girl, who's on your mind?"
"There's no one in my heart at all
And no one on my mind.
Last night I saw conscription lists,
The Khan is calling troops everywhere.
The army's rolls were in twelve scrolls,
And every scroll held Father's name.
My father has no older son,
Mulan has no big brother.
I wish to go buy horse and gear
And march to the wars for father."
In the east mart she bought a fine steed,
In the west mart she bought blanket and saddle.
In the north mart she bought a long whip,
In the south mart bought bit and bridle.
At dawn she took her parents' leave.
By the Yellow River she camped at dusk.
She did not hear her parents' calls,
She heard only the sad whinnying
From the Turkish horsemen on Mount Yan.
She went thousands of miles to battle,
She flew across fortified passes.
The north wind carried the sounds of the march,
And cold light shone on her armor.
After many a battle the general died,
After ten years the stout troops went home.
She came back and saw the Emperor.
The Emperor sat in his hall of light,
Her deeds raised her rank by twelve degrees,
He gave her a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan then asked her what she wished.
"I've no use to be grand secretary.
Just loan me a camel with far-running feet,
To carry me on its back to home.
When her parents heard that their daughter had come,
They came out of the town, leaning one on another.
When her sister heard the big sister had come,
At the window she made herself up with rouge.
When the young brother heard that the big sister had come,
He sharpened his knife and got pigs and sheep.
Then Mulan opened the door to her room in the east,
She sat on the bed in her room in the west.
She took off her buffcoat and armor,
And put on the skirt she used to wear.
At the window she combed her wispy locks,
In the mirror she put on rouge.
Then she went to the gate to see her companions,
And all her companions were struck with surprise.
"We marched together for twelve long years,
And you never knew that Mulan was a girl.
The male hare's legs have a nervous spring,
The eye of the girl hare wanders.
But when two hares run side by side,
Who can tell if they're boy or girl?"
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